Blue Fire
by ashred29
Summary: What do you get when you're on the wrong boat with an old pirate and a mutt in the middle of a raging storm passing while passing into the Bermuda triangle? I think you'll have to read if you want to figure out more...


It was Friday on the East Coast. I was wandering along the docks, looking for the midnight ferry to Coney Island. I found it at the end of the lot, but it wasn't exactly what someone would call a ferry. In my eyes, it was a dilapidated steamboat.

As I walked up the gangplank, the smell of fermenting catfish hit me. The repulsing aroma almost made me run for the hills, if it weren't for my friend's birthday, I wanted to surprise her.

I greeted the captain and noticed he was old and bearded, but what screamed at me the most was that he was as run-down as his ship. I compared him to an abandoned street-wanderer I saw on my way here. He uttered a few words to me, it sounded like our destination, but I was too excited to pay attention.

Finding it odd that I was the only passenger, I reluctantly made my way to the hold. Button-sized mosquitoes constantly gnawed at my succulent skin all the way. They buzzed hungrily, anxious for blood.

Before I entered the room, an adorable stray pup slinked out and headed for the captain. I guessed it was his companion. It looked to be a ratted, black Labrador retriever, practically blending in with the shadows.

As soon as the whistle blew, to signal our leave, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"This doesn't feel right," I thought suspiciously, "I shouldn't have even come."

I waited patiently while swatting the mosquitoes for our arrival. Time passed slowly, five...fifteen...thirty, and finally an hour passed silently.

"Wait," I wondered, "Wasn't this ride only supposed to last forty-five minutes?" Realizing that, I decided to investigate.

As I approached my navigator, his mangy mutt stumbled away.

Ignoring the distinct roar of thunder miles away, I posed the question, "Why aren't we at Coney Island yet?"

He looked aghast when he replied, "Didn't ye hear me when ye got'n? Nay? Well I said we ain't goin' thar, we was goin' ta brave tha 'eart of tha' thar storm!" He pointed across the horizon, "Ye landlubber boarded th' wron' boat!"

My eyes widened as I realized how foolish I had been. "I knew something was going to go wrong!" I directed my anger at the innocent man.

"Don' look at me! It ain't mah fault!" mumbled the defenseless man.

"So sorry, I didn't mean it for you." I said, my cheeks turning bright cherry-red. "But can't you just take me back to shore?"

He started laughing and wheezing, I wasn't sure if I should have aided him. "Ye should know tha' we seadogs don't never turn back." He said after he recollected himself.

"But...but can't you make this one exception?" I pleaded.

"Think of this to be gettin' yer sea legs." He replied a little too optimistically.

I tried to argue my situation a bit more, but once I saw how stubborn he was, I dashed back to the hold. After bolting the door shut, I squeezed into a corner and passed out quickly from my irrational fear of storms. I giggled to myself as I dreamed of my little puppy, barking at the window from the thunder.

Startled, I awoke to the most intimidating lightning crack in my life, and somehow I knew that wasn't going to be the end of it.

I stood up and was instantly stumbling around- like a drunken sailor- as the boat rocked perilously. Thinking we might capsize, I made a ridiculous looking bee-line out of the hold and onto the main deck.

The weather was as ferocious as the water. Wind whipped my hair around, sea salt splashed in my eyes.

It was morning said my watch, but the only light I saw was of the little paper lantern at the helm. Taking in the scene a bit more, I found the alarmingly black storm clouds overhead.

I quickly scanned the ocean for the captain and his mutt, being that they weren't there. After a few minutes, I was forced to conclude that they had both jumped ship.

Seeing the white-capped water brewing, I went straight to trying to steer the tiny vessel to safety. Somehow, being in the middle of the sea made me doubtful.

After so many countless hours, I finally saw a dark mass. I was desperately hoping it was an island. Lightning flashed around it, making it seem like it was glowing and glowering over me.

As soon as the lone shadow came into view, the storm started picking up, more and more threatening by the second. The waves were no longer lapping the sides of the boat; they were pouncing like a little kitten with a ball of yarn. In a little under an hour, the whole vessel was filled with at least a couple of inches of water, I couldn't bail it out fast enough.

For another hour or so, I thought I was safe, until the boat wretched and creaked. I felt it sink a couple of inches, slowly, but surely, like quicksand.

Something awful was happening, I could feel it growing in my gut, and by that time I was full out panicking.

I was paralyzed in place while a few more gut-twisting sounds came from the engine, and a couple more forceful waves pummeled us around. The ship finally flipped over from the amount of stress to reveal its broad, white underside.

Dazed from the epic weather, my head throbbing and potentially bleeding, I opened my eyes and gazed into a shocking abyss. My pupils dilated from fear as I tried to scream under water, it rushed right in. I realized I was going to drown if I didn't do something fast.

I swiveled around for the surface to relieve the searing pain in my chest, my eyes tearing themselves apart all the while. Forcing my legs to work around the twisted engine, I finally broke the water. My lungs screamed for air as I gasped and gulped.

As I watched the terrifying, massive wreck sink further into the crushing depths of the sea, I floated around, searching for the slightest sign of floating refuge.

I turned around and was face-to-face with the barnacle-infested underbelly of the pitiful boat. Thinking how nasty it was, I decided I would use it for safety if there was nothing else.

Suddenly, a red glint caught my eye; I fought my way over to it as quickly as humanly possible. What seemed like an hour of endless tease from the floating mass, proved only to be a couple of minutes.

Curiously, I found the blood-red ring to already have an occupant. As I looked at it a bit more - afraid of what it might've been - I came to find that it was just the fuzzy mutt from before. I breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked as frightened as I was, but he didn't back down when I reached over to hang on to the puny life preserver.

I asked him out of pure interest, "If you're here, then where could that old pirate be?"

He looked at me for a split second, as if he understood, then he began to howl as loud as he could. I tried calming him down, but that only made him cry even more so.

I was too exhausted to do anything more, but still I clutched him and the ring, trusting my grip with my life. Not having any more strength, I passed out from my struggle.

Awaiting escape in my dreams, I slept peacefully.


End file.
